People go to the movies to fall in love, and not just with their dates. Wholesome sex appeal has kept Hollywood purring for 80 years. But today's prime actresses-Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, even Winona Ryder-are a formidable bunch, serioso artists who don't fit into a fellow's dream of easy chatter and backseat romance; they are more likely to hand you a petition. As for Sharon Stone, she's gorgeous, but thanks all the same, we would just as soon survive the good-night kiss.

Then there's Meg Ryan, with a radiance that neither forbids nor threatens. At 33, Ryan...